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(Columbian (Vancouver, WA) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Aug. 15--A Battle Ground man was sentenced today to 15 years in federal prison and lifetime supervised release for producing child pornography, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. Some of the pornography included images of his friends' children.

David P. Harlan, 46, pleaded guilty in January to one count of production of child pornography.

"This is a serious offense with tragic consequences," said U.S. District Judge Ronald B. Leighton. "The sentence here needs to deter conduct like this by you or by like-minded people."
Harlan has been serving a six-year sentence for child molestation since May. His federal sentence will run concurrent with the preexisting sentence.

German authorities alerted U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Portland, Ore., that someone at a particular IP address in Vancouver was distributing child pornography using peer-to-peer file sharing software, according to records filed in the case. The IP address belonged to Harlan.

Investigators served a search warrant on Harlan's Battle Ground home in March 2010 and seized 10 computers, numerous DVDs, hard drives and cameras. Forensic analysis uncovered more than 5,300 images and 183 movie files of children engaged in sexually explicit conduct. Some of the victims depicted in the images had already been identified by the Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Others were the children of Harlan's friends.

In one instance, he took photos of a 5-year-old girl while her mother was busy in the kitchen.

"This case is a sad reminder that most children are victimized by someone they know and trust," said Brad Bench, special agent in charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Seattle. "Fortunately, through this investigation that began halfway around the world in Germany, HSI and its local partners have put an end to Harlan's sexual abuse of children."
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Battle Ground Police Department investigated the case, while Assistant United States Attorney David Reese Jennings prosecuted it.